Bachendri Pal of Uttarakhand is the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world. Bachendri Pal mount everest expedition became inspiration to the youth of India.She is the fifth woman climber in the world to reach the height of Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain peak. She did this feat on 23 May 1984, at 1:7 minutes. Bachendri Pal belongs to a simple family of Uttarkashi, a small village in Uttarakhand.
Born in an agricultural family, Bachendri completed her degree in B.Ed. overcoming all difficulties. Despite being meritorious and talented, she did not get any good employment. The job she got was temporary, junior level, and the salary was also very less. This disappointed Bachendri, and instead of doing a job, she applied for the course at the ‘Nehru Institute of Mountaineering.’ From here, her life got a new path. In 1982, as an advance camp, she completed the ascents of Gangotri (6,672 m) and Rudugaira (5,819). In this camp, Bachendri was given the first job as an instructor by Brigadier Gyan Singh. However, she had to face opposition from family and relatives for taking up the profession of a mountaineer.
India’s ‘Fourth Everest Expedition’ began in the year 1984. Till then, only four women in the world had been able to climb Everest. Bachendri Pal, along with seven other women and eleven men, was included in the team that was formed for this campaign. This team hoisted the Indian flag on ‘Sagarmatha’ (Everest), situated at an altitude of 29,028 feet (8,848 m) at 1:07 minutes on 23 May 1984. With this, she became the 5th woman in the world to successfully set foot on Everest.
In 2009, she was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India for her amazing spirit and unparalleled courage.